Best Online DNP Programs: Exploring Top Schools
By earning a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP), you can build your expertise to provide the highest levels of education and patient care. This guide walks you through top schools with campus and online DNP programs, concentration options, and funding available to advanced nursing students.
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Featured Popular Online DNP Programs
If you’re an experienced nurse and have visions of further career growth, enrolling in a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program can be a smart next step, and thanks to the rise of online learning, it’s more accessible for working nurses than ever.
Online DNP programs vary in structure but generally fall into one of two formats:
- Synchronous: Live virtual classes held at scheduled times.
- Asynchronous: Coursework you complete on your own schedule with forum-based interaction.
No matter the format or structure, all online DNP programs require clinical hours, a capstone or final project, and, in some cases, short on-campus residencies.
To help you determine which format and structure best fit your goals and lifestyle, explore the three popular DNP program profiles below.
University of Cincinnati
Whether you want to have a direct role in patient care or influence nursing practice through teaching, research, or administration, the DNP program at the University of Cincinnati prepares you for the most advanced roles in nursing.
Program concentrations:
- Occupational Health
- Psychiatric-mental Health
- Nurse Anesthesia
- Pediatric Acute Care
- Public Health Nursing
- Systems Leadership
If you’re interested in implementing health and safety plans in workplaces, you can enroll in the occupational health concentration. But if you want to work with patients living with complex mental health issues, the psychiatric-mental health concentration might interest you.
Duration: Two years
Mode: Online
Cost: $836 per credit (residency dependent)
Admissions Requirements:
- An active, unrestricted RN license
- A nursing bachelor’s degree from an accredited school
- An overall 3.25 grade point average (GPA)
- A 3.0 GPA in science courses
- A 2.0 GPA in a statistics class
Curriculum:
- Healthcare policy
- Biostatistics for evidence-based practice
- Nursing research methods
- Quality improvement
- Patient safety
University of San Francisco
The University of San Francisco’s family nurse practitioner DNP program combines principles of evidence-based nursing practice with cultural competence, fiscal responsibility, social justice, and ethical reasoning. This results in an education that holistically prepares students to work as nurse practitioners (NPs).
Features:
- Curriculum is rooted in Jesuit origins so emphasis is placed on providing humane and equitable care
- Online classes available; on-campus classes on Fridays and Saturdays
- On-campus coursework runs from 8:00 in the morning until 9:00 at night
- Prepares graduates for work in hospitals, community health centers, private physician’s offices, and public clinics
Duration: One to two years
Mode: Hybrid
Cost: $1,635 per credit
Admissions Requirements:
- A Bachelor of Science in Nursing or a master’s degree from an accredited school
- A current RN license
- A 3.0 GPA or higher recommended
Curriculum:
- Advanced best practices for NPs
- Leadership skills
- Research methods
- Professional ethics
Briar Cliff University
Designed for certified nurse practitioners, the DNP program at Briar Cliff University prepares students to move into advanced practice nursing positions.
Features:
- Emphasizes a holistic approach to patient care by combining nursing principles with humanities and social science
- Coursework provides an overview of the racial, ethnic, and cultural issues that impact healthcare
- Curriculum highlights how political, sociocultural, ethical, spiritual, and legal factors can become a part of advanced nursing practice
After graduation, students are prepared to choose the right interventions for specific patients, promote good health in different advanced practice settings, and incorporate tools like nursing informatics into practice.
Duration: Two years
Mode: Online
Cost:$585 per credit
Admissions Requirements:
- A nursing master’s degree
- An active nursing license
Curriculum:
- Leadership in complex healthcare organizations
- Philosophy and theory for advanced practice nursing
- Financial management for healthcare organizations
- Cultural competence in healthcare
Programs that might interest you:
Answering FAQs About Online DNP Degrees
What concentrations do DNP programs have?
There are a variety of choices for concentrations in DNP programs, including nurse practitioner, clinical nurse leader, nurse researcher, and nurse anesthetist, among others.
DNP-prepared nurses can also specialize in their roles, for example:
- Family Nurse Practitioner: treat patients across the lifespan, from infants to the elderly
- Pediatric Nurse Practitioner: help children develop and maintain good physical, social, and emotional health
- Psychiatric Mental Health NP: treat patients experiencing a range of mental health challenges
Is there financial aid available for DNP programs?
Yes, you can receive financial aid to help with the cost of your DNP program. To determine what types of funding you may be eligible for, fill out a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be considered for a wide range of federal opportunities like grants, scholarships, and loans.
Scholarships and grants are some of the best forms of financial aid because they don’t need to be paid back. These awards, which can come from the state or federal government, are often provided based on financial need.
If scholarships and grants cannot cover the entire cost of your education, funding the remainder with loans is another option.
Is it important for a DNP program to be accredited?
Nursing school accreditation is extremely important. Graduating from an accredited program is a crucial way to show organizations and employers that you possess the standard of knowledge and skills expected of someone with an advanced education.
Furthermore, students must be enrolled in an accredited program to receive federal financial aid.
Online DNP programs may be accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN).
The standards set by these organizations are designed to further the nursing field and ensure that professionals are prepared for the current and future nursing landscapes.
What is the difference between a DNP and a PhD in nursing?
A DNP focuses on the clinical practice of nursing, and these degrees are often for people who want to provide patient care at the top of their licenses.
On the other hand, a PhD in nursing is like the research-driven counterpart to the practice-driven DNP. This degree may be suited to nursing professionals who want to shift away from patient care and into research or education.
How much do DNP graduates earn?
Average salaries for DNP graduates range from around $91,000 to $128,00 annually. How much you can make will depend on what state you live in. For example, nurses with a DNP in Pennsylvania make $106,045, those in North Carolina earn $91,134, and California DNP-prepared nurses make $115,411.
Advancing your education will unlock more job opportunities, many of which may increase your salary further.
What Can You Do with a DNP Degree?
Earning an online DNP can open nursing professionals to a broad variety of leadership-driven advanced nursing careers in both clinical and academic settings. After completing an online DNP program, graduates may further their work in patient care. Alternatively, they may want to move into careers focused on policy development and systematic change.
Here are a few ways nurses can use a DNP degree:
1—Research
Depending on their concentration in the program, advanced nursing professionals may use their new skills and knowledge to conduct research. As a clinical researcher, they may gather data, perform an analysis, and make recommendations for future evidence-based practice.
2—Healthcare Management
Doctoral-prepared RNs can also shift into healthcare management careers, implementing multilevel changes in large healthcare organizations like hospitals. These nurse leaders focus on change management at the executive level to improve healthcare systems.
3—Advanced Practice Registered Nursing
RNs who want to continue working with patients can specialize in a specific type of care and pursue a career as an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN). These clinicians can make diagnoses, write prescriptions, and treat medical conditions. APRNs include nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialists, and nurse anesthetists.
4—Education
Nurses who prefer to move to the education side of healthcare can leverage the leadership skills they learned during their DNP studies to branch into nursing education. They can take on roles as nurse educators in clinical settings or nursing professors or deans at colleges or universities.
Expert Insight
Many universities gladly welcome nurses with a terminal nursing degree for professorships. Your DNP qualifies you to teach multiple subjects to nursing students in any degree program without limitations. This includes teaching students in associate’s, bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs. You may need to meet additional qualifications, of course.
